Read Making Waves: A Perfect Kisses Novella for Free Online

months after the last time he’d seen her—he’d hoped enough time had passed and he could finally tell her the truth…that he spent half of his life in the water. But then he’d worried that might hurt her all over again, when she might be healing instead. He couldn’t do that to her.
    “Can I ask you a question?” she said, looking appealingly nervous again.
    He couldn’t help laughing. “Ask whatever you’d like.” At hearing his own words, the chuckle in his throat died.
    The interview .
    For five magical minutes, he’d forgotten. Being around Justine was throwing him off.
    Except for that first year of irresponsible debauchery, Chase Ryder had never given an interview, never had a photo op. At fifteen, he’d thrived on that kind of notoriety, being the newest hotshot on Oahu. But when his reckless behavior caused his mother to suffer, his entire life changed. Since then, he’d made damn sure to keep the personas of Will and Chase separate.
    Yet here he was, at the mercy of a Los Angeles-based reporter. If Justine wanted to, she could ruin life as he knew it, and all because—a year ago—he’d been desperate to spare her feelings and not hurt her more than she had been hurting at the time.
    “That’s what we’re here for,” he added after taking a deep breath. He lifted an eyebrow and pulled out a chair for her to sit. “The interview.”
    “Right,” she said, although she seemed to be thinking of something else. “Let me just grab my notepad.” She dashed to where she’d dropped her purse by the door.
    “How long are you on the island?” Will asked.
    “Two more days,” she said, digging through her purse.
    “You said you’re on vacation. Did you come alone or with friends?”
    “Alone, but visiting a friend.”
    “Female friend?” he couldn’t help tagging on.
    She lifted her chin and looked at him. “Hey, who’s interviewing who?”
    Will chuckled. “Sorry. I just…it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
    And whose fault is that?
    Justine returned to the patio and sat across from him, placing her notebook on the table. Looking very professional—like a reporter. Will tried to ignore the heavy rock of dread in his stomach. He did not want to do this.
    “Female friend,” she stated quietly, staring down at her notebook. He caught the tiny smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. It made him smile in return, and suddenly that rock didn’t seem as heavy.
    “Anyway.” She turned to a clean sheet of paper. “Tell me, Chase Ryder”—she shot him a smile that cut into his heart—“why did you retire?”
    He cleared this throat and sat back in his chair. Here goes nothing.
    “About a year ago, at the beginning of the winter season, I had a…well, I guess you’d call it a crisis of faith. I was at the top of my game, everything was going great, but it was like I didn’t have the heart, I didn’t love it like I should. Chasing the big waves like I do, your head has to be in the game, otherwise, it can be dangerous.”
    “Dangerous,” Justine repeated in a low voice, not meeting his eyes.
    Will was about to go on, but he hesitated, wanting to come at it from another angle. “Which is why I stopped competing mid-season. I don’t get a high from taking foolish risks. I’m not a daredevil, Juss.” He waited until she looked up at him. “I respect the ocean and its potential dangers. For what I do, I’m as safe as they come.”
    She nodded slowly. “I see,” she said, her eyes turning toward the beach. After a moment, Will could see her shoulders drop a bit, like she’d been tense up until now. Then she began to intermittently scribble on her notepad and suck on the end of her pen.
    Damn lucky pen .
    “So you had this crisis of faith. Can you tell me why?” When he didn’t answer, she looked up. “Will?”
    “Oh, um.” He pried his gaze away from her mesmerizing mouth. “I don’t know what it was. Nothing happened that I can put my finger